Book Review: Sculptor

sculptorSculptor
by Scott McCloud
Published by: First Second
Form: Purchased Hardback
Genre: Graphic Novel
Big Themes: Art, Life, Death, Love, Depression, Individuality, Legacy, Time

Summary:
A young artist makes a bargain with Death: unlimited artistic ability but in exchange, David Smith will only have 200 days left to live. With his new ability to sculpt anything his mind can imagine, David struggles to create a legacy to his name.  He wants his work to be seen and remembered, but the clock is ticking.

“The best graphic novel I’ve read in years. It’s about art and love and why we keep on trying. It will break your heart.” -Neil Gaiman

Review:

Scott McCloudIf you are a fan of graphic novels, Scott McCloud should be a familiar name.  His books Making Comics and Understanding Comics are must-haves and will change how you read and appreciate graphic novels. I bought these books for my brother about ten years ago after being incredibly impressed by them myself. We would both call ourselves Scott McCloud fans. However, while McCloud has written how-to manuals about comics, he had yet to embark on creating a novel-length piece of graphic fiction.  Sculptor is his first.

I had the opportunity to meet and hear Scott McCloud speak at Politics and Prose in DC back in February. He had a great computer presentation that allowed him to show us his creative process and the work that went into Sculptor. The book is a 488 pages and took McCloud five years to craft. This event moved Sculptor to the top of my to-read pile despite how enormous my to-read list is lately.

What I Loved:
The art was gorgeous.  You can tell this book was an act of love. Every panel shows thoughtfulness. The novel is set in New York City, and some of the panels made me ache to jump on the train for a visit.

IMG_3411

The message about life was another element I loved. I’d like to discuss this book in a book group, but here is what I took away from the book (without giving any spoilers). After reading, I felt like McCloud wanted his readers, particularly young people who are driven to make a name for themselves, to realize that life is more than making your mark. Especially when it comes to creativity, life fuels your work, your craft. Experiences and relationships and everyday life are just as important as any goals or aspirations you may have. And to live in a manic, focused, obsessive state where your entire focus is centered on your own aspirations is wasting the one life you have to live.

This resonated with me because creative types, introverted writers especially, can live in the worlds they create. They can obsess over the right word or phrasing. They can worry if anyone will ever want to read their work. And writing is often such a solitary act that shutting out the real world becomes too easy. So for me, this book was about finding balance. A reminder that life outside of art and ambition is equally important.

Also, the concepts of some of the sculptures that David creates were really, really awesome. I’d imagine that would be difficult to come up with as a writer–ideas for art that corresponds with infinite ability. That was a fun, almost superhero element.  Super Sculptor–can mold anything with his bare hands. McCloud made that power seem cool and desirable.

Criticism:
I’d love to have a discussion about Meg. McCloud admits that she fits the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, but he said the following:

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is an archetype that shows up in romance almost exclusively, and our reaction is to mark it for death. We shouldn’t kill what we don’t understand. There’s a reason why this character shows up again and again. I don’t know how well a job I’ve done of investigating those reasons, but I hope there’s something in The Sculptor that makes Meg worthwhile.

Quote from Vulture.com

There are so many things to be discussed about Meg–from her first appearance as an angel, to their talk about her being an object, to her final representation in sculpture form. Am I okay with how McCloud portrayed the only leading female character? My initial answer is no. But I’d love to talk about it.

Overall:
Four stars. Overall, I really enjoyed this. Would highly recommend to all creative types or ambitious types. Recommended for adults due to sex and mature topics.

Top Ten Books on My To-Read List (Winter 2015)

5b4a8-toptentuesdayTop Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

For more information about Top Ten Tuesday and a list of upcoming Top Ten Tuesday topics, click here.

This Week’s Topic:
Top Ten Books on My To-Read List (Winter 2015)

I fell short of my reading goals for 2014, so I have a lot of catching up to do!  These are the books at the top of my list.  All book titles link to Goodreads.

Winter1

  1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart- I read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks this summer and loved it.  A hardback of We Were Liars is on my bookshelf, calling my name.
  2. The Unwind series by Neal Schusterman- My mom and brother are urging me to finish this series.  They LOVE it.  I really enjoyed the first book, but it’s been well over 5 years since I’ve read it.  I’ll need to do a re-read before tackling Unwholly, UnSouled, and Undivided.
  3. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier- I discovered this book at a new local indie bookstore called Greenrow Books.  If you’re in Maryland, you should totally check them out!  I’ll be teaching Poe soon, and this Victorian ghost story boasted a Poe-type vibe.winter4
  4. Maggie Stiefvater- There was a point where I had read everything Maggie had published.  I’ve since fallen way behind, despite my desire to devour everything she writes.  I’ve started Scorpio Races three times but have never finished.  Sinner, Dream Thieves, and Blue Lily, Lily Blue are all on my to-read list as well.winter2
  5. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen- This book has tons of buzz, and my mom read it already and passed it on to me after she really enjoyed it.
  6. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins- Sometimes I need humor in my life, and I can trust Rachel Hawkins to make me laugh!  I loved her Hex Hall series, and I want to check out her latest novel, too!
  7. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas- I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this series, and I feel so late to the party!  Really, really want to read this one! winter3
  8. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate- I am normally so much better about reading the Newbery winners.  This one keeps escaping me, and I really must make time to read it.  I need to read more middle grade this year because I’m running out of books to recommend to my students!
  9. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo- Another series that I keep hearing wonderful things about!  I bought this ages ago and really must finally pick it up!
  10. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers- This series intimidates me because the books are sooooo long.  But it’s another series that people rave about, and I shouldn’t let the book’s weight deter me any longer!

What books are on your to-read list this winter?  Please share!

Book Review: Sea of Tranquility

sea of tranquilitySea of Tranquility
 by Katja Millay
Published by: Atria Books
Form: Purchased Paperback
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Big Themes: Trajedy, Death, Falling in Love, Second Chances, Woodworking, Baking, Ice Cream

Summary:
After a life-changing, horrible, near-death experience, a girl named Nastya stops speaking and moves in with her aunt so she can get a fresh start at a new school.  She meets a boy named Josh, whose life is also unbearably tragic, and the two find comfort in each other’s broken, outcast status.  But can love bloom between two people who have not allowed their scars to heal?

Review in a Nutshell:

This book originally went on my to-read list after I read Aylee’s review over at Recovering Potter Addict.  (Great blog and I highly recommend clicking the link and checking her out.)  Aylee prefers speculative fiction, much like myself.  But this contemporary read had her gushing and handing out five stars, so I put it on my list… Back in Winter 2014…  A year ago…

Fast forward to now.  My mom had been recommending this book to me, saying I would love it.  And I finally picked it up to give it a go over my winter break.  My mom wanted me to read it not just because she enjoyed it, but also because the male lead is a carpenter/woodworker–just like my awesome boyfriend!!!  Ahhh!  Yay!!!  So I definitely liked the male lead in this book.  😉

This was Millay’s first novel and an impressive debut.  Both Nastya and Josh narrate the story, which is something I enjoy when there is a budding romance.  I like getting both perspectives and seeing the characters through each other’s lenses.  I also thought Millay did a good job of slowly revealing bits of information about Nastya’s past.  The pacing and timing of the clues is well done.  I never felt like I was being denied information as the reader.

The only reason I did not give this five stars is because I didn’t cry.  And I kind of felt like I should have cried, based on the story’s content.  So I don’t think I connected with the characters as powerfully as I have in other books (like TFIOS for example).

Overall:
Four stars.  Really enjoyed it, never bored.  Excellent debut and I highly recommend.  For ages 14 and up due to language, violence, alcohol, drugs, and sex.

Behind the Story: Getting Organized

Owl & White/Red BookBehind the Story posts will be about what goes on behind the scenes as a writer creates their story.  I’ll be writing about my own writing process and sharing any tips or advice I’ve discovered on my own or gathered on the topic. Hopefully both readers and writers find these posts fascinating!

This week’s topic:
Getting Organized

I love using planners.  In college, the first thing I’d do after the first full week of classes is fill out a planner/calendar with all the due dates for the semester.  Often things would be color coded.  I liked to see everything all laid out in one document.  I’ve gone through similar phases with blogging and planning out my posts for the month.

But here is my frustration: planners don’t often have what I’m looking for.  Occasionally I’ve found one.  I really liked a line of planners Vera Bradley made for awhile.  But when I went shopping for my 2015 planner, I could not find what I was looking for.  I like to have both a monthly spread and the weekly spread.  For example, I want to be able to see the whole month of January and then immediately following a full calendar for there to be a smaller weekly breakdown.  Apparently, I am alone in this desire because finding a planner laid out that way is a challenge.

So I resolved this dilemma by making my own darn planner.  Right now it’s in a file folder, but I might move it to a three-ring binder.  I wanted to share the pages I created in case this is a design that others may find helpful.  Below are links to the PDF files.

Month Planner

This page features a write-in calendar, a place to list books I read that month, and a place to record my writing word count for the entire month.

Weekly Planner

This page features two weekly spreads where I can record:

  • Daily word count
  • Blog post published that day
  • What book I am reading

There is also a spot at the end of each week to record what my biggest accomplishment of the week was.  Sometimes we all need to recognize our efforts and give ourselves a pat on the back!

I love that I’ve been able to customize a planner for my own uses.  And this was way cheaper than buying one!

Feel free to save or download the pdfs to use yourself!

How do you stay organized?  Do you use a planner or calendar system?
Let me know if there is a “Behind the Story” topic you would like to see… Happy Writing!

Top Ten Resolutions for 2015

5b4a8-toptentuesdayTop Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

For more information about Top Ten Tuesday and a list of upcoming Top Ten Tuesday topics, click here.

This Week’s Topic:
Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2015 — bookish, blogging or otherwise!

Preface: In the past, I’ve set concrete/measurable goals for myself, like read 3-5 contemporary fiction books or write 1,000 words per day.  But I’m not feeling concrete today.  I’m feeling more like I have a vision for what I want 2015 to look like, and below are the parts of that vision.

  1. Guard my Time- Time is precious and limited. I want to use my time for the things most important to me. I want to use my time to write, to read, and to relax with those I love. Success will depend on being conscious of what is sucking time away as well as prioritizing what I spend time on.
  2. Be Kind- I want to be someone who spreads kind words. Someone who does kind deeds. And someone who thinks kind thoughts. The world needs more kindness.
  3. Be Supportive- I want to show support for the people around me. We don’t have to be in competition with each other.  We don’t have to compare our lives to other’s lives.  Let’s be happy for each person’s successes and build people up through their struggles.  That’s the world I want to live in.
  4. Unplug at 9pm- I want to get off social media and get away from shining screens every night by 9pm.  I need time to wind down at the end of the day.  I want to establish better sleep patterns.  Sleep is so important to both health and mood (article about sleep from Washington Post).
  5. Dedicate time to read EVERY DAY- Even if it’s just the twenty minutes before bed, I can make sure I have time to read every day.  I’m a happier person when I’m reading, and I want to be a happy person.
  6. Read Diverse Books- I teach in diverse schools, and I recognize the need for diverse books.  I want to support publishers and authors who are putting diverse books out there for readers.  And I want to have more diverse books to recommend to my students. (http://weneeddiversebooks.org/)
  7. Type up Book Reviews within 3 Days of Finishing Reading- I struggle to compose a thoughtful review unless I do so before starting a new book.  There is that perfect period after finishing a book where you are spinning it around in your head, where the characters still feel real, where you’ve gotten over initial feelings and are becoming objective.  Did I like this?  What would I change?  What did the author do well?  What can they improve?  Once this time period passes or I start a new book, I feel like my reviews become lackluster and far less thoughtful.
  8. Write- I’m happier when I’m doing it.  It helps to turn off the TV in the evenings and disconnect from social media.  But ultimately, I have to make time and make my writing time a ritual.
  9. Cook Food- I’m doing better and better at using my microwave less and my oven more.  I plan menus. I have a growing supply of spices and ingredients in my cabinet.  I feel overall healthier after making my own food.
  10. Squats, Lunges, Leg Lifts- Because reading and writing both involve sitting on my butt.  So I need a strong butt.

What are your goals for 2015?  Please share!

Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After

IslaIsla and the Happily Ever After
 by Stephanie Perkins
Published by: Dutton
Form: Purchased Hardback
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Big Themes: Falling in Love, Boarding School, Finding Yourself, Art, Paris, NYC, Barcelona

Other Books in the Series:
Anna and the French Kiss
Lola and the Boy Next Door
*This series is more like companion books than sequels.

Summary:
Isla, class valedictorian, has had a crush on Joshua Wasserstein, bad boy artist, since her freshman year.  One night in New York while they are both home for the summer fills Isla with hope that perhaps something might happen this year when they return to school in Paris.

Review in a Nutshell:

I. Love. Stephanie.  Perkins.

Stephanie Perkins captures young love at its finest in each of her books.  She captures those moments of awkwardness.  Those moments of hope.  Those moments of infatuation.  Those moments of wonder. I rarely read contemporary romance because they don’t have enough action for me.  But Stephanie Perkins crafts characters that feel real and her stories are authentic to teen experiences.  I love her work.

Lola and the Boy Next Door will remain my favorite in this series because I adored the quirky characters Lola and Cricket.  But Isla has it’s own charm that shouldn’t be missed.  If you like the quiet, nerdy girl falls for misunderstood, bad boy, then this is your book.  If you think that sounds too predictable, there are plenty of surprises that made the story fresh.

Isla really captured what I think is a real teen persona: the super successful academic who has no idea what they want to do in their life after high school.  I think there are a lot of teens who push and push themselves to achieve in high school and get into competitive colleges but are lost when it comes to a passion and career they want to pursue.  I really liked that Perkins explored this person in Isla.

Josh, the romantic lead, is Isla’s opposite.  He has always known what his passion is and what he wants to do with his life.  They compliment each other, and yet conflict is present as well.  I loved the descriptions of Josh’s artwork throughout the novel.  I’d imagine that would be hard to capture as an author, but I thought Perkins did a wonderful job.

The story is well crafted.  You are invested in Isla and Josh as a couple, and then the conflict is heart-wrenching.  I sort of wanted to know what Isla’s passion and purpose was going to be, but I think it is better that we don’t get a resolution there because, just like a real teenager, she needs time to explore and develop.  I also wanted some resolution with Josh’s hand pains.  I want to know that he’ll be okay!

And if you’ve ever wanted to travel to Barcelona, this book will make you want to go even more!

Overall:
Four and a half stars.  Really, really enjoyed it, but it won’t beat Lola and the Boy Next Door in my heart.  Highly recommend!  For ages 14 and up due to language and sex.

Book Review: Afterworlds

afterworldsAfterworlds
 by Scott Westerfeld
Published by: Simon Pulse
Form: Purchased Hardback (autographed)
Big Themes: Writing, Afterlife, Death, Ghosts, Revenge, New York City, Growing Up, LGBT, Ramen

Summary:
This book tells two stories: Darcy Patel, the teen who lands a book deal and moves to NYC to pursue a career in writing–and–the other story being the book Darcy wrote: the story of Lizzie, the victim of a terrorist attack who can see ghosts and travel the afterlife following her close encounter with death.

Review in a Nutshell:

Really fantastic concept.  Loved reading the story of an author side by side with the book the author is working on.  The writer in me especially loved that.  And Westerfeld totally pulled it off.  I had no difficulty keeping the two stories straight.

I was far more interested in Darcy’s story than Lizzie’s story.  I really enjoyed getting a little glimpse at the writing life, especially the romantic idea of living in New York City after a huge signing contract and being able to take a stab at writing full time.  That’s my dream life.  Not to mention living in a refurbished dance studio with huge windows?  Sigh.  I want that life.

I was less enchanted with the romantic subplots of both stories.  Lizzie/Yama or Darcy/Imogen did not feel authentic or swoony to me at all.  I think this was due to a lack of tension or build-up in either romantic plot.  Both relationships fell together rather easily.

Overall:
I’m a huge fan of Scott Westerfeld, but this won’t beat the Leviathan series for me.  I liked the glimpse of the writing life.  And I liked the whole concept of reading a writer’s life side-by-side with their novel.  Three stars.

Book Review: Every Day

Every DayEvery Day
 by David Levithan
Published by: Ember
Form: Purchased Paperback
Big Themes: Humanity, Trust, Love, Reincarnation

Summary:
Every day, A wakes up in a new body.  He has no choice as to what body he wakes up in.  A’s life has no consistency.  Each day is new faces.  A new situation.  Until A falls in love, and struggles to cling to the possibility that this body-hopping life may have a purpose.

Review in a Nutshell:

A totally unique concept.  This book really makes you think about what it means to be human and the idea of a human soul.  What makes us who we are?  I loved the idea of a person being recognizable no matter what body they are in.  The idea that a soul can transcend your physical body.

You really feel for the character A and all that he/she has to go through on a daily basis.  You yearned for A to have some stability and normalcy.  With each day being an entirely different situation, I definitely found this book to be a page-turner and quick read.

The book is guilty of using some stereotypes in terms of the characters that A body-hops into.  That didn’t bother me as I was reading, but I read it in some reviews afterwards.  I thought the author did an excellent job of exploring many different personas, and frequently created sympathy for those personas through A’s voice and observations.

Overall:
Four shining stars.  This book was a fascinating look at humanity and what it means to be human.  Unique and worth reading. Recommended for ages 14 and up for mild drug/sex references.

Book Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Disreputable History Frankie LBThe Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
 by E. Lockhart
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
Form: Purchased Paperback
Big Themes: Secret Societies, Pranks, Societal Structure, Popularity, Identity, Growing Up, Falling in Love, Girl Power/Feminism

Summary:
Frankie, girl genius and underestimated by all, attends an elite boarding school and infiltrates an elite boy-only secret society.

Review in a Nutshell:

This book.  Blew me away.  I know I’m late to the E. Lockhart game.  I am eager to read We Were Liars.

If you want a girl power read, this is your book.  If you want a book that will challenge how you look at the world.  This is your book.

I think the biggest reason this book resonated with me is its ideas about power.  How people obtain power.  How people diminish other’s power.  How you can empower yourself.  I loved watching Frankie figure out the world around her as some sort of social experiment.

HR sealofapprovalOverall:
Five big shining stars.  I know this was a short review, but I read this book over the summer and neglected to post it.  The messages of this book have stayed with me long after reading, and this is one I highly recommend.

Book Review: The Girl Who Could Fly

Girl Who Could FlyThe Girl Who Could Fly
 by Victoria Forester
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Form: Purchased Paperback
Big Themes: Uniqueness, Friendship, Gifted Children

Summary:
Piper McCloud comes from small town rural life. When her parents discover she can fly, they tell her she shouldn’t. Her flying should be kept a secret, and maybe her ability will just go away. Normal is better. But Piper can’t contain her ability. She’s meant to fly. And when word of her flying gets out, she is invited to a special school for gifted kids. This book was described as Little House on the Prairie meets X-men, and I’d say that’s an apt description!

What I Loved:

Voice: The story is told in such a quirky, charming voice.  You feel like you are surrounded by rural, small town life.  This more than anything else lured me in.

Eccentric characters and species: I loved all the abilities of the different children.  There were other gifted species as well and those fascinated me just as much, especially the giraffe and cricket.

Piper McCloud: Piper is an extremely endearing main character.  Her optimism and kindness to others might have made her just as special as her ability to fly.  Her name is pretty fantastic too!

Criticism:

Ending: The ending felt very anti-climactic to me.  One, the ending is pictured my copy of the book (image above).  I think this is cruel to the reader.  The biggest moment of the book as well as one of the book’s main surprises should NOT be on a book’s cover.  Two, I felt there was a lot of build up and little pay off.  The final challenges were overcome with relative ease compared to other obstacles.  I was really chugging along through conflict after conflict for the first half of the book, but the ending took me forever to finish.

Overall:
Three stars, maybe three and a half.  The anti-climactic, slow-paced ending that was ruined by the book’s cover image knocked this down for me.  But if you want great voice, gifted children, and a lovable protagonist, check this one out.